Since Election Day, President Barack Obama has appointed 56 people to boards, commissions and offices in the hopes that they remain in those posts for years to come. He has reduced the prison sentences of 79 federal inmates. He has handed out the nation’s highest civilian honor to 21 people who he said personally made an impact on his life. And he has churned out rules, regulations and policies several times a week. Obama is trying to put the people and policies in place that he wants to outlast his presidency in the final weeks before Donald Trump takes...

Exxon Mobil Corp. Chief Executive Rex Tillerson has emerged as the leading candidate to become President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, according to two transition officials, marking the latest twist in a multiweek search for a top diplomat. Mr. Tillerson moved ahead of other candidates, including 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who have had multiple conversations with Mr. Trump about the job. Mr. Tillerson is viewed by some of Mr. Trump’s advisers as a mold-breaking pick who would bring an executive’s experience to the diplomatic role, said a person involved in the process. Messrs. Trump and Tillerson...

Two pro-Trump groups hoped to get a federal judge to end Wisconsinâ€™s recount early, but Judge James Peterson put an end to those hopes rather quickly. The Associated Press had barely even reported the challenge when Peterson declined to intervene. The issue will become moot soon enough anyway: A federal judge will on Friday consider halting Wisconsinâ€™s presidential recount.President-elect Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by more than 22,000 votes in the state. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein requested the recount to determine if election machines were hacked.Two pro-Trump groups, the Great America PAC and the Stop Hillary PAC,...

U.S. President Barack Obama ordered intelligence agencies to review cyber attacks and foreign intervention into the 2016 election and deliver a report before he leaves office on Jan. 20, homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco said on Friday. Monaco told reporters the results of the report would be shared with lawmakers and others. "The president has directed the intelligence community to conduct a full review of what happened during the 2016 election process ... and to capture lessons learned from that and to report to a range of stakeholders, to include the Congress," Monaco said during an event hosted by the...

Faust Says Harvard Will Not Be a 'Sanctuary Campus' By Hannah Natanson, CRIMSON STAFF WRITER UPDATED: December 7, 2016, at 12:12 a.m. University President Drew G. Faust said Harvard will not designate itself a “sanctuary campus” at a Faculty of Arts and Sciences meeting held Tuesday afternoon in the Science Center. Faust said she is worried calling Harvard a "sanctuary campus," a term she argued has no legal significance, could actually further endanger undocumented students at Harvard. She said she has met with members of Congress and other federal officials to discuss protections for undocumented students . "It also risks...

Somali refugees are arriving in the United States at the highest rate ever in the first two months of Fiscal Year 2017, according to the State Department’s interactive website. Between October 1, 2016, the beginning of the fiscal year, and December 7, 2016, a total of 2,775 Somali refugees have arrived in the United States.

More than 60 Democratic members of Congress are urging President Obama to protect the hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who signed up for his deferred action program before he leaves office next month. “You have pardoned hundreds and hundreds of people convicted for drug offenses,” Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said at a Wednesday press conference in Washington. “We want you to use that same pardon power for hundreds of thousands of young people who came forward because you asked them to come forward. You asked them to come forward.” “With that comes responsibility, Mr. President,” he added. The White...

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate professional wrestling magnate and former Senate candidate Linda McMahon as his choice to head the Small Business Administration, transition officials told Reuters on Wednesday. The announcement was expected later on Wednesday. McMahon, 68, is a co-founder and former CEO of the professional wrestling franchise WWE, which is based in Stamford, Connecticut. She ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut in 2010. She was an early supporter of Trump's presidential campaign. The SBA, which has at least one office in every U.S. state, provides support to small businesses such as extending loans...

Donald Trump intends to select Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a senior transition official confirmed to NBC News Wednesday — the clearest sign yet the president-elect will pursue an agenda that could undue President Obama's climate change legacy. An ally to the fossil fuel industry, Pruitt has aggressively fought against environmental regulations, becoming one of a number of attorneys general to craft a 28-state lawsuit against the Obama administration's rules to curb carbon emissions. The case is currently awaiting a decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which...

As reported in Frontrunning, President-elect Donald Trump will nominate Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as the next U.S. ambassador to China, choosing a longstanding friend of Beijing after rattling the world's second-largest economy by speaking to Taiwan's president. Earlier in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang called Branstad an "old friend" of China when asked about a report on the appointment, although he added Beijing would work with any U.S. ambassador.The appointment of Branstad will likely ease trade tensions between the two countries, the world's two biggest agricultural producers, diplomats and trade experts said according to Reuters. It also suggests...

Donald Trump is tapping Gen. John Kelly to run the Department of Homeland Security, CBS News confirms. The final request and acceptance, sources told CBS’ Major Garrett, occurred while Kelly was traveling in Europe. His pick for DHS secretary will be announced by the transition staff in the coming days. Kelly is the third general tapped by the president-elect, joining Gen. James Mattis, Mr. Trump’s pick to become the next secretary of Defense, and Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Mr. Trump’s incoming national security advisor. Like Mattis, Kelly is a Marine with a reputation for bluntness.

US President-elect Donald Trump has been named as Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2016. The property tycoon took the title after winning an unexpected victory over Hillary Clinton in November's presidential election. Mr Trump told NBC's Today show shortly after the announcement it was a "great honour" which "meant a lot" to him. He was chosen from a shortlist that also included Mrs Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Monday that Japan's SoftBank has agreed to invest $50 billion in the United States and create 50,000 more jobs for Americans. He announced the deal after meeting with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, a Japanese billionaire and technology investor. WATCH: Donald Trump Meets With SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son

In the wake of an election in which Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Donald Trump was elected president by winning the Electoral College, a survey showed the lowest percentage of people ever in a Gallup poll saying they would support amending the Constitution to eliminate the Electoral College and decide presidential elections by the popular vote. “This year, for the first time in the 49 years Gallup has asked about it, less than half of Americans want to replace the Electoral College with a popular vote system,” Gallup said in an analysis of its poll results. Gallup’s latest...

Blah blah blah, Al Qaeda's a shadow of its former self...I'm the man who shot Usama bin Laden... Terror not an existential threat to our country...don't let the fear of it make us forget who we are...Congress should renew authorization to use force... Let drones do the shooting...Let lots of refugees into the country to prove you're not a racist...blah blah blah blah blah...

The Green Party-backed push for a recount of Pennsylvania's presidential election results will get its day in federal court. U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond on Tuesday ordered a Friday hearing to consider the party's request for a forensic examination of voting machines used across the state and a statewide recount of paper ballots. The proceeding will take place just five days before the Dec. 13 federal deadline for the state to certify its votes, raising questions over whether that would leave enough time for a thorough examination should the judge allow the recount to proceed. Former Green Party presidential...

Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobile’s XOM 0.51% CEO, is in the running for a new job: Donald Trump’s Secretary of State. The Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed transition adviser, reports that the energy executive is set to set to meet with Trump for an interview this week. Tillerson’s interview comes after Trump aides said the President-elect had settled on four finalists. But Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said Sunday that “there’s not a finite list of candidates,” adding that there’s “more than four.” Most notably, Trump is considering 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy...

Just the link to AG Schuette's Twitter. Account. The tweet reads Michigan Court of Appeals, not the MI SC or the US Court of Appeals. Will monitor going forward. As news reports come in, we can perhaps keep this as the running thread.

Republicans in the House and Senate sent a letter to Obama administration officials this week, demanding more details about nearly 2,500 refugees the U.S. is taking from Australian. The refugees, who originate from some of the world’s most dangerous countries, have apparently been rejected by the Australian government. Now, lawmakers want to know why these refugees – too dangerous for Papua New Guinea and Nauru – are perfectly welcome inside the United States. From Fox News: In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Secretary of State John Kerry, key lawmakers Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and...

Dr. Ben Carson will be Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the president-elect’s transition team confirmed Monday morning. “Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities,” Mr. Trump said in a statement released by his team.”We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including our inner cities. Ben shares my optimism about the future of our country and is part of ensuring that this is a Presidency representing all Americans. He is a...

The euro slid in Asia on Monday after exit polls showed Italian Prime Minster Matteo Renzi clearly losing a constitutional referendum that could end his career and destabilize the country's shaky banking system. The single currency dropped to $1.0577 in thin trade, after starting around $1.0645 earlier. The dollar was underpinned by expectations of a U.S. rate rise this month, and even held its ground on the safe-haven yen at 113.20. Dealers said Italian bonds were set to come under pressure as top-rated U.S. Treasuries and German bunds gained. Asian investors are often reluctant to trade on European developments, preferring...

<p>Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has announced his intention to resign after suffering what looks set to be a humiliating defeat in a referendum over his plan to reform the constitution, throwing the country and the euro zone into confusion.</p>

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has suffered a heavy defeat in a referendum over his plan to reform the constitution, exit polls suggest. An exit poll on state broadcaster RAI suggests 42-46% voted to back reform, compared with 54-58% voting No. Two other polls gave the No vote a similar lead of at least 10 points. Mr Renzi, who has said he would resign if he lost the vote, is due to make a statement at midnight (23:00 GMT) from his official residence in Rome. The referendum was regarded as a barometer of anti-establishment sentiment in Europe. The vote asked...

"It is ridiculous to think that a phone call upsets decades of anything," he said. "But I do think it is important that people understand that the President of the United States should talk to whoever he wants, if he thinks it is in the interests of the U.S. Nobody in Beijing gets to dictate who we talk to. My view has been for some time that we should be upgrading our relations with Taiwan, and I know that is going to caus heartburn in Beijing, but it is a reality." "This is a nation of over 20 million people....

The far-right Austrian presidential candidate Norbert Hofer’s campaign manager, Herbert Kickl, has conceded his candidate’s defeat to former Greens leader Alexander Van der Bellen, Reuters reports. Kickl told the state broadcaster: The bottom line is it didn’t quite work out. In this case the establishment - which pitched in once again to block, to stonewall and to prevent renewal - has won. Also: If confirmed, the margin of Van der Bellen’s forecast win over Hofer in Austria is a major surprise. Polls in the run-up to the vote had the two candidates neck-and-neck, with several putting the far-right Freedom party’s...

I think one of the reasons people get so concerned about the tweets is it is sort of a way around the press. He doesn't have to rely upon, uh, rely upon -- this is the modern era, modern technology. He's at the point where we don't need you guys anymore.

Congress authorizes Trump to arm Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft missiles The House voted for the first time today to explicitly authorize the incoming Donald Trump administration to arm vetted Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft missiles. Summary Today, the House passed a defense bill that conditionally allows the provision of MANPADs to anti-Syrian regime forces. Author Julian Pecquet Posted December 2, 2016 While the language in the annual defense bill also creates restrictions on the provision of the controversial weapons, it represents a win for Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., a fervent advocate of helping the rebels resist President...

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Green Party-backed voters dropped a court case Saturday night that had sought to force a statewide recount of Pennsylvania’s Nov. 8 presidential election, won by Republican Donald Trump, in what Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein had framed as an effort to explore whether voting machines and systems had been hacked and the election result manipulated. But later Saturday night, the party announced it’ll go to federal court instead. A statement from the lead lawyer for the recount campaign says it’ll seek an emergency federal court order for the recount. It says barriers to a recount in...

There is a massive nine-alarm fire blazing in Cambridge near Berkshire and York Streets. Nine alarms are the most that can be called. Firefighters from communities well outside the area being called in. Cambridge police are asking that the public avoid the area. Multiple buildings are on fire, including a church. At least one building has reportedly collapsed. Fire companies from all corners are on-scene to assist, including from Boston, Newton, Waltham and Wakefield.

Ok, this one strategic maneuver has just pegged my too-much-winning needle on max overdrive. Donald Trump took a congratulatory phone call from the President of Taiwan, and now the Chinese will be apoplectic. Those of you who have been with us for a while, will note our arguments against China’s MFN (Most Favored Nation) trade status have continually fallen on deaf ears within DC. Why? Because they are political ears paid to remain necessarily deaf, while various Chinese national interests have taken influence over our legislative priorities on trade and commerce.

Megyn Kelly’s bestselling memoir is called “Settle for More,” but the star anchor may have to settle for less money if she decides to leave the Fox News Channel. Kelly is said to have not made up her mind about staying with Fox News beyond the end of her contract in July, even with an offer of more than $20 million a year to stay, which would put her in the same income bracket as NBC’s “Today” co-anchor Matt Lauer. So far no other networks have offered to top Fox’s figure, according to network news executives and agents familiar with...

<p>Ford Motor Co. is willing to work with Donald Trump to keep jobs in the U.S. if he puts the right policies in place, the automaker’s chief executive officer said.</p>
<p>“We will be very clear in the things we’d like to see,” Mark Fields said in an exclusive interview at Bloomberg offices in Southfield, Michigan. “We’ll continue to advocate for currency-manipulation rules to promote free and fair trade. One of our priorities is making sure fuel-economy standards reflect market realities, tax reform in general we would be very supportive of, and the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles.”</p>

One person, a male faculty member, has been fatally stabbed on the USC campus and a suspect is in custody. The victim is a man, approximately 25 years old, says Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Just after 4:30 p.m., firefighter paramedics responded to a reported stabbing on the 3600 block of McClintock Avenue, located on campus near the Seeley G. Mudd building and the school’s running track. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, Stewart said. No other injuries have been reported. USC’s college newspaper The Daily Trojan reported on Twitter that police locked down the...